Falling asleep with TV, light on could cause weight gain, study finds

Updated: Tue 10:26 AM, Jun 11, 2019

(CNN) - Can’t catch some sleep without the television on at night?

The study by the American Medical Association found a link between sleeping with the television or light on, and weight gain. Health officials recommend taking TVs and other tech devices out of your bedroom in order to support a healthy sleeping environment.

Or do you need a light on to fall asleep?

If so, those seemingly harmless habits just might make you pack on the pounds.

New research shows that falling asleep with a lot of light on is now linked to an increased risk of weight gain and obesity, according to a new study published in the journal of the American Medical Association.

The study analyzed the sleeping habits of nearly 44,000 women in the United States. It found that those who said they sleep with a TV or a light on in the room, gained 11 pounds or more, and had a body mass increase of about 10 percent over a 5-year period.

There was also a 22 percent chance of becoming overweight and a 33 percent chance of becoming obese or having too much body fat.

So do you need to kick the habit and cut the lights?

Health officials recommend taking TVs and other tech devices out of your bedroom in order to support a healthy sleeping environment.

That’s because artificial light at night can throw off your body clock and

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